Temperature Modifying System and Method for Retrofitting Footwear

ABSTRACT

A temperature modifying system for footwear having an air diverter positioned on top of the rear portion of the shoe insole, bores passing from an insole aperture beneath the air diverter to a supply port, and an AC system adapted to deliver conditioned air into the shoe through the supply port, bores, insole aperture and air channels located in the air diverter. The AC system is releasably connected to the shoe. A shoe may be retrofitted with the tubular members, supply port and insole aperture post-manufacture by drilling bores through the heel and insole.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of footwear, i.e., shoes, boots or the like that substantially enclose the foot of the wearer, and more particularly relates to systems for adjusting or controlling the temperature within the shoe (the term “shoe” to be used herein to encompass any footwear that substantially encloses the foot of the wearer). Even more particularly, the invention relates to external systems, such as air conditioning equipment, that is adapted to provide cooled or heated air into the shoe.

As opposed to sandals, open-toed footwear or the like, shoes substantially enclosing the foot act to trap body heat produced by the wearer in warm temperatures and are typically not sufficiently insulated to prevent excessive heat loss during cold temperatures. Additionally, in many instances the working or athletic environment deliver even more heat or cold to the feet of the wearer. For example, workers in cold storage facilities or high temperature factory areas have the heat loss or heat gain increased, respectfully. Likewise, outdoor playing surfaces will become extremely hot or cold depending on weather conditions, and athletes suffer extreme heat gain or loss when practicing or playing.

It is known to provide either internal or external systems for controlling the temperature of the shoe by delivering either warmed or cooled air or liquid into the shoe as needed. For external systems, the shoe is provided with a docking assembly that allows the conditioned air or liquid to be delivered into the shoe when the shoe is docked with the supply system. Typically, the air or liquid is delivered into bladders disposed within the shoes. Alternative systems utilize a series a tubes or conduits built into the sole or upper of the shoe, with conditioned air delivered through the tubes into the interior of the shoe when the shoe is connected to the conditioning system.

A significant problem in the known systems is that the temperature modifying systems must be formed as part of the shoe during manufacture. Since the market for temperature modified shoes is extremely small in comparison to the total footwear market, manufacturers are not likely to invest in the production of such shoes, and if some choose to do so, the shoes would be very expensive to purchase. Furthermore, athletes in particular require specialized shoes and usually will have favorite brands and styles. It is often common for some athletes to change their shoes multiple times during a contest. And finally, modern athletic shoes are the result of years of research and engineering design improvements, so any alteration to such athletic shoes must also avoid reducing or degrading the desirable characteristics and properties of the shoe. Thus, producing temperature modifying systems for athletes present even more problems.

It is an object of this invention to address the problems set forth and to provide distinct advantages to known temperature modifying systems for footwear. In particular, it is an object of this invention to provide such a system that can be easily utilized in production model shoes, whereby the temperature modifying system can be added or retrofitted post-manufacture to practically any shoe, whether a work boot, athletic shoe, etc., without altering or diminishing its engineered characteristics and properties. It is a further object to provide such a system wherein the temperature within the shoe may be quickly modified without need for removal of the shoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a representative embodiment of the invention showing the air diverter member positioned in the shoe and the nozzle of the air conditioning system inserted into the supply port within the shoe.

FIG. 2 is top view of the air diverter member of FIG. 1 as situated beneath the insole of the shoe.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment for the air diverter member.

FIG. 4 is a front-end view of the air diverter member of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the invention showing a valve member and a tubular member inserted within the horizontal supply bore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention in various embodiments is a temperature modifying system for footwear, and a method of retrofitting existing shoes with the temperature modifying system, and in particular for shoes having uppers that substantially enclose the wearer's foot. The system comprises an air conditioning (“AC”) system that is adapted to supply cooled or heated air under pressure to an air diverter or manifold member positioned beneath the heel area of the shoe insole, the air being delivered through an AC supply tube, the AC supply tube being easily and quickly connected and disconnected to the shoe. The air is forced through an air supply port and bores positioned within the sole of the shoe which is in fluid contact with air channels present on the underside of the air diverter member, such that conditioned air is delivered into the interior of the shoe to pass through or around the edges of the shoe insole.

The air diverter is most preferably formed of a polymer or rubber material with sufficient density that the air channels are not collapsed by the weight of the wearer when the shoe is worn, or at least wherein the material is sufficiently resilient such that the channels reopen when the wearer's weight is removed when the wearer is seated. The number, size, direction, configuration, etc., of the air channels may be varied, as may be the shape, size, thickness, dimensions, material of composition, etc., of the air diverter member.

To modify the internal temperature within the shoe, the AC nozzle of the AC system is connected to the shoe and the conditioned air is forced through the internal supply tubes and delivered to the air diverter through an insole aperture, wherein the air is divided and passed into and from the air channels and into the interior of the shoe and around the wearer's foot. Once the desirable internal temperature is attained, the air supply tube is disconnected from the shoe.

An important benefit of this system is that having the system built in during manufacturing is not required. Any shoe may be retrofitted with the temperature modifying or control system by drilling a horizontal bore into the sole in the heel area and a vertical bore in the interior of the shoe downward through the sole that meets the horizontal bore. This creates the air supply bores, or actual tube members may be inserted into the bores for better structural integrity. The air diverter is then placed into the shoe over the heel portion of the sole, and the insole is inserted. A connecting mechanism between the air diverter member and the insole aperture may be provided.

Alternatively presented, the invention may be summarized as a temperature modifying system adapted for providing conditioned air into a shoe having a heel, a sole, an insole, an interior, a front, a rear and sides, said system comprising: a supply port opening to the outside of the shoe; a horizontal supply bore disposed within the heel or sole of the shoe in fluid communication with said supply port; an insole aperture opening into the interior of the shoe; a vertical supply bore in fluid communication with said insole aperture and said horizontal supply bore; an air diverter member positioned in the interior of the shoe, said air diverter member comprising air channels, said air channels being in fluid communication with said insole aperture; and an air conditioning unit adapted to deliver conditioned air through AC supply tubes, each said AC supply tube adapted for temporary connection to said supply port; wherein conditioned air is delivered through said AC supply tubes, said horizontal supply bore, said vertical supply bore, said insole aperture into said air diverter member, and wherein said air diverter member then distributes said conditioned air into the interior of the shoe. Furthermore, the above invention wherein said air diverter member is positioned beneath the shoe insole; wherein said air diverter member comprises an upper surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of air channels bounded by support ridge walls, said air channels being open on said bottom surface of said air diverter member; wherein said channels extend toward the front and the rear of the shoe; wherein said channels extend toward the front, the rear and the sides of the shoe; wherein said air diverter further comprises air apertures extending from said air channels through said upper surface of said air diverter member; further comprising a valve member disposed within said supply port; further comprising one or more tubular members disposed within said horizontal supply bore and said vertical supply bore; further comprising AC control members adapted to control the delivery of the conditioned air through said AC supply tubes; and/or further comprising nozzles mounted onto said AC supply tubes, said nozzles adapted to fit within said supply port.

Alternatively still, the invention may be summarized as a method of retrofitting a shoe to incorporate a temperature modifying system, the shoe having a heel, a sole, an insole, an interior, a front, a rear and sides, the method comprising the steps of: drilling a horizontal bore through the heel of the shoe, thereby creating a supply port open to the outside of the shoe and a horizontal supply bore within the heel; drilling a vertical bore downwardly within the interior of the shoe at a location and depth so as to interconnect with the horizontal bore in a fluid communicating manner; and positioning an air diverter member in the interior of the shoe, the air diverter member comprising air channels, such that said air channels are in fluid communication with said insole aperture. Furthermore, the above method further comprising the step of positioning the insole atop the air diverter member; further comprising the step of disposing one or more tubular members in the horizontal and vertical supply bores; further comprising the steps of providing an air conditioning unit adapted to deliver conditioned air through AC supply tubes, connecting one of the AC supply tubes to the supply port, and delivering conditioned air through the AC supply tube, the horizontal supply bore, the vertical supply bore, and the insole aperture into the air diverter member, whereby the air diverter member then distributes the conditioned air into the interior of the shoe; and/or further comprising positioning a valve within the supply port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention, being a temperature modifying system for footwear and a method of retrofitting footwear with the system, is now described in detail and representative embodiments are illustrated. The drawings are for descriptive and illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention. The terms “footwear” and “shoes” shall be interchangeable as used herein, and the terms are used herein to define substantially enclosed articles such as athletic shoes, athletic boots, work shoes, work boots, casual shoes, casual boots, dress shoes or the like.

In general, the invention in various embodiments is a temperature modifying system for footwear, and in particular shoes 90 having uppers 94 that substantially enclose the wearer's foot. The system comprises an air conditioning (“AC”) unit, device or system 30 of any known type, portable or installed in a facility, that is adapted to supply, under pressure, cooled or heated air, i.e., conditioned air, to an air diverter, distributor or manifold member 10 inserted through the foot opening of the shoe and positioned beneath the rear or heel portion of the shoe insole 91. The conditioned air is delivered to the shoe insert system through an AC supply tube 32, the AC supply tube 32 being adapted to be easily and quickly connected and disconnected to the supply port 21 of the shoe 90. Most preferably, multiple supply tubes 32 are in fluid communication with the AC unit 30, such that at least two and most preferably a plurality of shoe pairs may be temperature modified at the same time. The air conditioning system 30 may be a stand-alone piece of equipment, or the AC unit 30 may be part of a physical facility or structure, or incorporated into a housing, a chair or a bench, or combinations of these elements. The AC supply tubes 32 and AC nozzles 33 may be mounted in a fixed and stable manner such that the shoe wearer forces the shoe 90 onto the AC nozzle 33, or the nozzles 33 may be manually inserted into and removed from the shoe's supply port 21.

Activation of the AC system 30 and/or control of air delivery through the air supply tubes 32 is controlled by an AC control actuator mechanism 31, which comprises a mechanical switch, button or the like operated by the shoe wearer or a separate operator. Most preferably the AC system 30 remains in continuous operation and individual AC supply tubes 32 are opened as needed, each AC control actuator mechanism 31 being dedicated to an individual AC supply tube 32.

The conditioned air is forced through an air supply port 21 most preferably located at the rear of the shoe 90, either at the back or the side of the heel 92 or sole 95. The supply port 21 may be an unobstructed opening, or may comprise a valve mechanism 25, a representative embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 5 as a duckbill valve, to seal the opening when the shoe 90 is not being cooled or warmed, and/or may comprise a connection mechanism that temporarily and releasably secures the AC nozzle 33 to the shoe 90 during air flow. The supply port 21 opens into and fluidly communicates with a generally horizontal supply bore 22 positioned within the heel/sole 91/95 of the shoe 90 which connects to a vertical supply bore 23, which in turn connects in fluid communication to an insole aperture 24 which opens into the interior 96 of the shoe 90. One or more more structurally rigid tubular members 26, as shown in FIG. 5, may be inserted into one or both of the supply bores 22/23. The insole aperture 24 is in fluid contact with air channels 14 present in the air diverter member 10, such that conditioned air is delivered into the interior of the shoe 90.

The air diverter member 10 is most preferably formed of a polymer or rubber material with sufficient density, strength and rigidity such that the air channels 14 are not collapsed by the weight of the wearer when the shoe 90 is worn, or at least are sufficiently resilient so as to resume a pre-compression, non-compressed state or configuration with re-opened channels 14 when the obstructing pressure is removed because the wearer is now seated. The number, size, direction, configuration, etc., of the air channels 14 may be varied, as may be the shape, size, thickness, dimensions, material of composition, etc., of the air diverter member 10. In FIG. 2, an embodiment of the air diverter 10 is shown having a plurality of air channels 14 running longitudinally in the shoe 90, the air channels 14 being interconnected such that conditioned air passing through the insole aperture 24 is directed to the rear and front of the shoe 90. The air channels 14 are preferably configured to be open or exposed on the bottom surface 12 of the air diverter member 10 and formed and defined by support ridge walls 13, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Alternatively, the air channels 14 may be formed as tubes within the air diverter 10 such that a solid bottom surface 12 is presented, aa appropriate bottom opening being provided for communication with the insole aperture 24.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air diverter member 10 may have air channels 14 extending in different directions so as to distribute conditioned air to the sides of the shoe 90 as well as the front and rear, and may be provided with slots or air apertures 15 that allow a portion of the conditioned air to pass through the upper surface 11 of the air diverter 10. The air diverter member 10 most preferably extends only to the arch portion 93 of the shoe 90 so as to not interfere with flexing or the insole arch support configuration, but embodiments wherein the air diverter 10 extends past the arch portion 93 are also possible.

To modify the internal temperature within the shoe, the AC nozzle 33 of the AC system 30 is connected to the shoe 90 in communication with the supply port 21, such that the conditioned air is forced through the internal supply tubes 22/23 and delivered to the air diverter 10 through the insole aperture 24, wherein the air is divided into and passed from the air channels 14. The conditioned air flows through, if perforations are present, or around the edges of the shoe insole 91. Once the desirable temperature is attained, the air supply tube 32 is deactivated and disconnected from the shoe 90.

As described, any shoe 90 may be retrofitted with the temperature modifying or control system by drilling a horizontal bore into the heel area 92 to create the horizontal supply bore 22 and supply port 21, and by drilling a vertical bore within the interior of the shoe downward into the heel or sole to create the vertical supply bore 23 and insole aperture 24, the vertical bore being located and with a depth so as to interconnect with the horizontal bore such that fluid communication exists between the vertical and horizontal bores 22/23. One or more tubular members 25 may be inserted into the bores 22/23 to provide improved structural integrity or to better define a direct passage through the heel area 92 or sole 95, if needed or desired due to materials of construction or design of the shoe 90. The air diverter member 10 is then placed into the rear of the shoe 90 and the insole 91 is repositioned atop the air diverter 10. In an alternative embodiment, the shoe insole 91 may also be drilled to create a hole in alignment with the insole aperture 24, in which case the air diverter member 10 may be placed atop the insole 91. A connecting mechanism between the air diverter member 10 and the insole aperture 24, such as a downwardly extending tube, may be provided to better secure the air diverter member 10 from shifting during use.

Such as system as described above has proven to rapidly cool or warm the wearer's feet without interfering with the desirable engineered properties of the shoes 90. Connection and disconnection of the shoes 90 to the nozzle 33 of the AC supply tube 32 is fast and simple, and actuation of conditioned air delivery into the shoe 90 is easily accomplished by the AC control mechanism 30, which may be a simple switch or button.

It is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements and steps described above may be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, and therefore the true scope and definition of the invention is to be as set forth in the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A temperature modifying system adapted for providing conditioned air into a shoe having a heel, a sole, an insole, an interior, a front, a rear and sides, said system comprising: a supply port opening to the outside of the shoe; a horizontal supply bore disposed within the heel or sole of the shoe in fluid communication with said supply port; an insole aperture opening into the interior of the shoe; a vertical supply bore in fluid communication with said insole aperture and said horizontal supply bore; an air diverter member positioned in the interior of the shoe, said air diverter member comprising air channels, said air channels being in fluid communication with said insole aperture; and an air conditioning unit adapted to deliver conditioned air through AC supply tubes, each said AC supply tube adapted for temporary connection to said supply port; wherein conditioned air is delivered through said AC supply tubes, said horizontal supply bore, said vertical supply bore, said insole aperture into said air diverter member, and wherein said air diverter member then distributes said conditioned air into the interior of the shoe.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said air diverter member is positioned beneath the shoe insole.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said air diverter member comprises an upper surface and a bottom surface, and a plurality of air channels bounded by support ridge walls, said air channels being open on said bottom surface of said air diverter member.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein said channels extend toward the front and the rear of the shoe.
 5. The system of claim 3, wherein said channels extend toward the front, the rear and the sides of the shoe.
 6. The system of claim 3, wherein said air diverter further comprises air apertures extending from said air channels through said upper surface of said air diverter member.
 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a valve member disposed within said supply port.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more tubular members disposed within said horizontal supply bore and said vertical supply bore.
 9. The system of claim 1, further comprising AC control members adapted to control the delivery of the conditioned air through said AC supply tubes.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising nozzles mounted onto said AC supply tubes, said nozzles adapted to fit within said supply port.
 11. A method of retrofitting a shoe to incorporate a temperature modifying system, the shoe having a heel, a sole, an insole, an interior, a front, a rear and sides, the method comprising the steps of: drilling a horizontal bore through the heel of the shoe, thereby creating a supply port open to the outside of the shoe and a horizontal supply bore within the heel; drilling a vertical bore downwardly within the interior of the shoe at a location and depth so as to interconnect with the horizontal bore in a fluid communicating manner; and positioning an air diverter member in the interior of the shoe, the air diverter member comprising air channels, such that said air channels are in fluid communication with said insole aperture.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of positioning the insole atop the air diverter member.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of disposing one or more tubular members in the horizontal and vertical supply bores.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of providing an air conditioning unit adapted to deliver conditioned air through AC supply tubes, connecting one of the AC supply tubes to the supply port, and delivering conditioned air through the AC supply tube, the horizontal supply bore, the vertical supply bore, and the insole aperture into the air diverter member, whereby the air diverter member then distributes the conditioned air into the interior of the shoe.
 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising positioning a valve within the supply port. 